JR 5- My History With Grammar

Grammar has been a significant part of my growth as a human being. As a child of immigrants, my journey with grammar has almost always been independent and as complex as one could imagine. The earliest memory I have with English grammar was in the first grade. My teacher, Mrs. Nagles, constantly advised me to read. She would give me books to read every week. I knew she genuinely cared for my education and wanted me to grow as a reader and writer. She would write encouraging notes inside the cover of my books that said, “Jamie, you have so much potential to grow as a reader and writer! Never stop reading. You’re going to grow so much. You already have,” or something of that sort. Being the shy child that I was in elementary, I rarely spent time playing with my two friends so I would read. A lot. That’s where it all began.

Since then, I have advanced tremendously. Reading and writing have been an outlet for me, especially as a victim of bullying in my childhood. I turned to reading for escape and turned to writing for comfort. The more I wrote, the more my grammar improved. I wanted to grow not just for myself but for my parents. I needed to be as accurate as possible because my parents needed my help. My parents became foster parents when I was six years old. Part of being foster parents meant they needed to write weekly reports about the foster children in my home. English is not their first language so as I got older, they really depended on me to revise their reports and write them too. That meant I had to work twice as hard in school; I was in all the advanced reading and writing classes in elementary school. I had to learn how write professionally for my parents’ reports.

I will admit… There has always been an underlying pressure to succeed, to assimilate, to be an American. It has been a burden but it has pushed me to be a better English reader and writer. It’s been a necessity for me to succeed because my family has always struggled. I want to make this life better for them because they do their best to make it better for me. I never want them ever worry. Being an excellent writer has allowed me to be an even finer student in all of my classes. I am still growing and I will never stop learning.

 

JR 4

The North article should matter to me because I am embarking on the journey to becoming a tutor and I should hold myself accountable to a better standard. As a tutor for the writing center, I should be aware of what it means to be a tutor and how to best be of service to students. Before reading this article, I had preconceived notions about how the writing center worked and how to be a tutor. This article gave me a better perspective of what a writing center should be. As stated in the article, writing is more usefully viewed as a process and the writing curricula needs to be student-centered (North 438).  I should care because it is my primary concern to help students become better writers by having an open conversation about their writing. I believe that helping student-writers not only allows them to grow but I grow as well; talking about others’ writing

 

The Schmidt and Alexander article should matter to me because I need to be a resource for student-writers that cultivates their growth in writing. They come to the writing center for help with writing but my job is to give them tools, resources, insight, and conversation that will enrich them as writers in the future. Writers never stop learning. One may be a brilliant and articulate writer but when one engages with another to discuss their writing, they see everything in a different light. A light that develops their next idea and formulates a fluid piece of writing.

JR 2- Writing Process

More often than not, my writing process varies from the different papers I write.  Although, there are some things that I do consistently every time to have a well-rounded paper. To begin, I find a broad topic to write about. From there I narrow the topics into subcategories until I find a topic that fuels me to write passionately about it. I strongly believe that the more passion you have for a certain a topic, the easier it’ll be to form an argument for that paper. Once I have a topic, I start my research. I use various search engines but I mainly use the resources provided online by the Hamersly Library. I read and annotate articles that will further my argument and counter it as well. If I read an article that brings up a point that I hadn’t thought about, I take notes and find more articles to support the new point and so forth.

Once all of my research and annotating is complete, I spend some time brainstorming the outline for my paper. This allows me to form a logical argument that connects all of my points together and finding a transition for my counterargument(s). The outline is there to guide me, not to restrict me. I often find that there is a lot more I’d like to write about so an outline guides me towards a guiding question. A guiding question that I attempt to answer with my argument and research to support my argument. It also reminds me to stay on topic and to not deviate to arguments that don’t have supporting sources.

After my research and outlining are finished, I start my first draft. This first draft is more like word vomit; a collection of all my ideas and understanding of the topic. I don’t actually use all of my sources on the first draft. Organization and perfection are not urgent concerns in the first draft. I typically set a timer for two hours to write. When my first draft is complete, I read and take notes on my paper. Notes on my argument and what needs to be fleshed out. I’ll read it again and then write a thesis statement. I also identify an exigency statement in my first draft and if I don’t have one, I write one. The thesis and exigency statement always change from draft to draft.

Next, I write a second draft. This is new draft is written from scratch but uses most of the arguments from the first draft. The second draft elaborates from the first draft. I use all of my sources to support my arguments. If I feel that I need more evidence or support, I also do a tad more research. When the second draft is finished, I will read and take notes again. Then I write the last draft. I never call this the final draft because as a writer, we’re always revising and changing our writing. For the last draft, I keep most of the second draft intact but revisions and additions. Once the last draft is finished, I’ll proofread and revise it again for any minor mistakes.

I believe that my process has been working very well for me. It allows to be thorough and thoughtful with my writing. I stay more focused when I have a routine and my writing is precise and explicit. What I like about my process is that I do not ever judge my writing at any stage. I have that freedom of writing the first draft solely for obtaining my ideas on paper; I can be creative. I do not think most students have a similar routine and state of mind because most students do not want to work more than they have to; it is difficult to dedicate that much time to one paper.  It takes a certain discipline to acquire this meticulous writing process.

I Am From

I am from Menendez and Villeda, Hidalgo and Giron.

From the poverty-stricken to the privileged streets of Guatemala and El Salvador,

to the blessed school yards of Oregon and the food on my table.

I am from the pozole, enchiladas, pupusas, and quesadillas.

From the side of steaming hot guilt to the loving warmth of my Mami’s dishes.

I am from “Never give up,” and “Dios esta con nosotros,” and “Two for ten.”

From the cousins and the tias and tios, to the brothers and sister, and the nieces and nephews. I am from crazy laughter, late nights, and Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.

From The Ketchup Girls jam sessions with my primas and the belting of Michael Jackson on road trips with my sister.

I am from unstable and flourishing households, from the pits darkness to the stroll on

sunshine rays.

I am from the growth of my Spanish roots to my American lifestyle. From the Spanglish language.

From the passion of theatre and the necessity of writing, I am from diversity, a drive for justice, and empathy.

I am from the identity crisis and existential crisis. From the pressure to succeed and the undeniable confidence my Mami has given me.

I am from love and regret, grief and suffering, positivism and faith.

“Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”